MCF Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,321 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $43,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,491,000 after acquiring an additional 105,858 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,820,000 after acquiring an additional 92,692 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,857,000 after acquiring an additional 24,459 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 338,048 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,688,000 after acquiring an additional 47,184 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,708,000 after acquiring an additional 562,823 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE IPG opened at $31.03 on Tuesday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.20 and a 1 year high of $40.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $11.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $31.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.34.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.02 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.32%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.